Staying Alive
by Percabeth4eva1
Summary: What if after Laurel had died, Oliver had gotten the Flash to go back in time and stop Damien darhk from killing Laurel. This is what I think would happen if Barry changed the timeline so that Laurel survived Darhk's prison break. The Legends did not happen. My first Arrow fanfic, hope you like it.
1. Chapter 1

It had been mere moments since the death of the Black Canary, AKA, Laurel Lance and all of Team Arrow as feeling the gloom.

Oliver and Quentin were both having a particularly hard time accepting it, both of them trying to figure out how to save her. And then the answer came to Oliver.

"Where are you going?" John asked and Oliver could tell that he was in a state of shock towards what Andy had done.

"To make a phone call. Might be a way to save Laurel." Oliver said as he exited the room.

"Do you really think that whatever Oliver is planning could work?" Felicity asked, looking between John, Thea and Quentin.

"I hope so. I've had to deal with the grief of losing a daughter twice already and I don't think I can put myself through that a third time without doing something I might regret." Quentin said darkly, his eyes still red with tears.

* * *

"I got here as fast as I could. I'm so sorry about Laurel." Barry said as he approached Oliver.

"Thanks, but that might not be necessary. That's why I called you." Oliver said.

"What, why? I can't bring people back from the dead." Barry said, confused.

"But you can go back in time and stop it from happening. I know that it's risky, but I figure that if you do it soon enough after an event happened, you can change the past without causing too many changes to history. Please. You know how important Laurel is to this team and I'm afraid of what her dad might do or what I might do if we don't at least try to save her." Oliver said.

Barry thought about it for a moment before saying, "Okay, I agree that with what's at stake, it's worth the risk. I just hope the time wraiths don't come after me."

"Thank you Barry, you are a godsend." Oliver said.

"Only if I succeed. But Oliver, if it does, I'm going to tell you what really happened, since you won't remember." Barry said.

Oliver nodded and said "Just go."

Barry nodded and like that, he was gone.

* * *

 _Earlier that night, Iron Heights Prison_

Barry ran in just in time to see what he needed to fix.

"Not this time you son of a bitch." Barry said as he ran straight into Iron Heights and just before Darhk could stab Laurel, Barry used his speed to throw a bolt of lightning at him, knocking Darhk out cold.

"What the hell?" Oliver asked as Barry ran in.

"Heard you could use some backup." Barry said with a grin as he came to a stop.

"I don't know how you knew what was going on, but thank god you did." Oliver said, relieved, though for some reason, he was feeling the strangest sense of deja vu.

* * *

Even with the Flash's help, Darhk and his cronies had still managed to escape, but at least this time, all of Team Arrow had survived the attack.

"Oliver, can I have word with you before I head back to Central City?" Barry asked.

"Sure." Oliver said as he and Barry went to talk in private.

"You remember when I told you I can time travel?" Barry asked.

"You're from the future?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah, and in that future, I originally wasn't there to help and Darhk would've stabbed Laurel and killed her." Barry said.

"Wait, so you mean that the whole you're is to save Laurel's life?" Oliver asked.

"Yep, and you need to tell her, since I think we both know the reason why you asked me to do this in the first place." Barry said and Oliver nodded.

"I'll talk to her." Oliver agreed.

"Great, now I gotta get back to my time before a time wraith gets on me. See ya." Barry said as he sped off.

* * *

Later on that night, Laurel entered Oliver's apartment and smiled at him as she closed the door.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Laurel asked.

"The reason Barry showed up at Iron Heights, but you can't tell anyone else, not even your dad." Oliver said.

"Okay, but why do you want to tell me?" Laurel asked.

"Because that Barry was actually from the future, apparently he can time travel and the reason Barry traveled back in time was because I apparently asked him to save you." Oliver said.

"What do you mean?" Laurel asked, though she was starting to get scared.

"Apparently in the original timeline, Barry didn't show up at the riot and Darhk stabbed you with one of my arrows and you died in the hospital." Oliver said.

"Not that I'm complaining, but why would you ask him to do that?" Laurel said.

"Because Laurel, in spite of everything, you're still the only real love of my life. That's why I wasn't as devastated as I probably should've been when Felicity called off our engagement. Because I think that subconsciously, I thought it was a sign that maybe there was still a chance for us. I don't know if you feel the same way and I wouldn't blame you if you didn't, but I felt that for once, I should be honest with you." Oliver said.

Laurel thought about it for a few dangerously long minutes and Oliver thought he ruined his friendship with Laurel forever, when suddenly, she kissed him.

"You were always the one true love of my life to." Laurel said with a smile as she kissed him again and this time Oliver kissed her back enthusiastically and things began to get heated between them.

* * *

Oliver and Laurel were laying Oliver's bed, their clothes scattered on the floor of the bedroom and on the steps from the main room.

"That was amazing. I'd forgotten how good it felt." Laurel said with a smile as she snuggled up into Oliver's chest.

"I know, but still, it felt as though we'd never broken up. We knew exactly how to please each other." Oliver said.

"Yeah, but Ollie, that just makes me wonder. Why did you have to cheat on me in the first place. I mean, we were so good together and yet you still threw it all away. I think that I deserve to know why before I let myself fall in with you again." Laurel said.

"I think I was panicked by how quickly things were moving along. I mean, it wasn't until you got serious about buying an apartment that I actually started cheating on you. Things were getting too serious too fast for me and I chickened out and started cheating on you." Oliver said.

"You know, you could've just told me that to begin with. We probably could've avoided a lot of complications in this life if you had." Laurel said.

"But where's the fun in that?" Oliver asked.

Laurel smiled and said "I guess that makes sense, but if we do this, you have to promise me that if things start moving too quickly for you, you'll tell me."

"I promise." Oliver agreed, kissing her.


	2. Chapter 2

It was just after the team had defeated Darhk's plan, Genesis, which they had done with the aid of Sara, Ray, and Nyssa, all of whom had returned to Star City after being called in. While Sara and Nyssa had led a rescue effort into Darhk's underground city, springing all of the innocent people from inside, Ray had worked with Felicity and Felicity's father at Argus to successfully disable the Rubicon missiles by reprogramming them to detonate in space, preventing them from doing any damage, Oliver, Laurel, Thea and John had gone after Darhk, which had ended with Oliver overpowering Darhk's magic and killing him in the streets.

Now, as they all sat in the bunker, watching the aftermath, John pulled Oliver aside.

"Is something wrong John?" Oliver asked.

"No Oliver. After what happened with Andy, the fact that he double crossed us and if it hadn't been for Barry's timely arrival, Laurel would've died because of it, I think I need some time away from this team, and this city." John said.

Oliver nodded in understanding and said "Take all the time you need. But remember, if you ever need anything, all you have to do is ask, and I'm there."

John smiled and said "You're on."

The 2 friends shook hands before John headed out.

"What was that about?" Laurel asked.

"John's taking some away to clear his head. After what happened with Andy, I can understand that." Oliver said.

"Than I guess that now isn't a good time to tell you that Felicity is leaving to." Laurel said.

"What?" Oliver asked.

"Go talk to her, I'm sure she can explain it." Laurel said and Oliver nodded.

* * *

"Felicity, Laurel just told me that you're leaving." Oliver said.

"Yeah, I can't be a part of this team any more." Felicity said.

"Why not?" Oliver asked.

"Because of you and Laurel." Felicity said.

"Felicity, you dumped me remember." Oliver said.

"I know, but it's just too hard for me to see you so happy with her and think that maybe if I hadn't been so reckless, than it could've been me." Felicity said.

"Are you sure I can't talk you out of leaving?" Oliver asked.

"The only way I'd stay is if you were willing to give us another chance." Felicity said.

Oliver shook his head no and said "I'm sorry, but I'm happy with Laurel. I messed things up with her once before and I can't and I won't lose her again."

"That's what I thought." Felicity said.

"Take care of yourself then." Oliver said.

"Oliver, I'm not leaving Star City, I'm just leaving the team. I still have Palmer Tech to run." Felicity said.

"See you around." Oliver said.

Felicity nodded as she walked out to.

"Good thing I'm planning on staying, that is, if you'll have me." Ray said, walking up to him.

"That's great. We could use a tech wiz who actually likes getting out in the field." Oliver said.

"Great, so, do I get my own mannequin?" Ray asked.

Oliver smiled and said "Since you figured out how to get the suit to shrink, I think you should keep it with you at all times."

"Agreed." Ray said.

Oliver then walked back to Laurel, who was speaking with Sara.

"What's going on here?" Oliver asked.

"Turns out that Japanese clan that Nyssa took the Lotus from isn't the only ones who had it. The League of Assassins had a lot of enemies, many of them also having the cure. Nyssa and I took another elixir from another one of them, the Koreans, and used it to cure my bloodlust." Sara said.

"Sara, that's incredible. Speaking of Nyssa, where is she?" Oliver asked.

Sara looked a bit pained at the hearing Nyssa's name before saying, "She's dead. She sacrificed herself to get all of the innocent people out of the Ark, but it collapsed before she could get out herself."

"Sara, I'm so sorry." Oliver said, suddenly wondering if this was what Barry had meant when he told him that when you change the past, the past fights back.

"Why, it's not like it's your fault. We all knew the risks when we signed on to do this." Sara said.

"That's not why I'm apologizing, because I think this might actually be my fault." Oliver said.

"What are you talking about?" Laurel asked her boyfriend, though she had an idea.

"Sara, what I'm about to tell you cannot be shared with anyone else, do I make myself clear?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah, but now would you tell me why you think it's your fault Nyssa is dead?" Sara asked.

"Back when Darhk escaped from prison and he was about to kill Laurel before Barry saved her, he was from the future." Oliver said.

"What do you mean?" Sara asked.

"What I mean is that if Barry runs fast enough, he can go back in time, that's actually how we beat Savage, but the point is that, according to Barry, when he saved Laurel, he changed the future, since originally, he hadn't been there." Oliver said.

"Which means that if Barry hadn't been there, Laurel would be dead right now?" Sara asked.

"Yes, but the only reason why Barry came back and saved her in the first place is because apparently in the original timeline, I asked him to save Laurel since I was afraid of the impact her death would have, not only on me, but on the rest of the team and especially your dad, since Laurel, you remember how badly your dad took it when Sara died, both times and we all know that his reaction would be even worse if you had died." Oliver said.

"That still doesn't explain why you think it's your fault Nyssa died?" Sara said.

"Barry also told me that when you change the past, the past fights back, replacing one horrible event with something equally as bad and I guess this is how. Replacing Laurel's death with Nyssa's. I'm sorry Sara." Oliver said.

To his surprise, Sara said "I'm not. Oliver, if I had to choose between Nyssa or Laurel, I'd choose Laurel everytime. After all, I can always find a new lover, but I only have one sister. If anything, I should be thanking you for saving not only my sister, but my father to, since I'm pretty sure he would've gone off the deep end."

"You're taking this a lot better than we expected. Is there something you're not telling us?" Laurel asked.

Sara sighed and said "Since my bloodlust has been cured, tonight was going to be my last night traveling with Nyssa. I want to get my life back. Have a career aside from being a vigilante, which I will be returning to. I was planning on breaking up with Nyssa after the mission anyway."

Laurel nodded and then said "So what are you going to do now?"

"Well, I want to go back to college and then, you remember what I wanted to do before the gambit went down?" Sara asked.

"You wanted to be a doctor." Laurel said.

Sara nodded and said "So, after I finish college, I want to go to medical school."

"I think that's a great idea. We could use someone who's actually been medically trained on the team." Oliver said.

"Me to, but you know that dad is gonna have to approve that plan." Laurel said with a smile.

"I know, but hopefully, he'll agree with me." Sara said.


	3. Chapter 3

Oliver was currently standing in city hall, his left hand on the bible, standing next to councilman Kemp, preparing to say the mayoral oath of office in front of the press, with both Laurel and Thea sitting in the crowd, grinning at him enthusiastically.

"Raise your right hand and recite the oath." the councilman said.

"I, Oliver Queen, do solemnly swear to support the charter and laws of Star City and to faithfully and impartially perform and discharge the duties of the office of mayor according to the law and to the very best of my ability." Oliver said, much to the applause of everyone.

"Congratulations Mr. Queen, you are officially the new mayor of Star City." Kemp said, shaking Oliver's hand.

"Thank you." Oliver said with a smile.

* * *

Since the DA had been killed during Darhk's riot, Oliver had appointed Laurel his new DA, a position she had eagerly accepted and Oliver appointed Thea his chief of staff.

"All you need now is a deputy mayor." Thea said.

"Why do I get the feeling that you've already offered the position to someone?" Oliver asked, knowing his sister too well.

"Quentin. His suspension from the police force has turned into forced early retirement and we both know that it's our fault. Giving him the job as Deputy Mayor is the least we can do to make it right. Besides, it could help to have a deputy mayor who's able to cover for the mayor, district attorney and chief of staff when we go on our little trips." Thea said.

"You're lucky I agree with you, otherwise Quentin wouldn't be the only one out of a job right now." Oliver said, right as Laurel walked in.

"What's going on? Why are you telling Thea that if you didn't agree with her about something, she'd be fired?" Laurel asked.

"Thea offered your dad the position of Deputy Mayor without consulting me first. Fortunately she made some strong points for it, and that's the only reason she still has a job. But if anyone asks, it was my idea. Agreed." Oliver said.

"Agreed." Thea said as she walked out.

"Seriously Ollie. It's bad enough my boyfriend is my boss in both of my jobs, I don't need my dad being my boss to, since he was already my boss for 18 years." Laurel said.

"Maybe so, but do I have to remind you who's the boss when we're at my place?" Oliver asked with a smile.

"Fair point. But Ollie, I think you need to start looking for a new place to live, since I hate the idea of you living in that crummy apartment, especially since you're the mayor." Laurel said.

"Yeah, well, Felicity owns the loft and I can't afford a nicer place to live yet." Oliver said, right as Ray walked in.

"Actually, I think I can help with that. Sorry for barging in unannounced." Ray said.

"No problem, what do you mean you can help?" Oliver asked.

"By giving you this." Ray said, handing Oliver a manila envelope.

"An envelope?" Oliver asked.

"Just open it." Ray said.

Oliver nodded as he opened the envelop and was surprised at what he found inside.

"Ray, is this?" Oliver asked.

"The deed to your old house, yes it is. Since Palmer Technologies used to be Queen Consolidated and the mansion is property of Queen Consolidated, it's my property and I have no use for it and since it was technically stolen from you, I'm giving back, along with the personal bank accounts that Isabelle took from you." Ray said.

"Ray, that's incredibly generous." Oliver said.

"Consider it a thank you for resizing me. Mr. Mayor." Ray said.

"I'll get someone in here to authorize the deed transfer." Laurel said as she walked out of the office.

* * *

"I never thought I'd be living here again." Oliver said as he brought his stuff inside the mansion.

"This is a house much more befitting of a mayor, especially since you can afford it again." Laurel said with a smile.

"I know, the only problem with it is that even with all the staff here, since they've clearly been kept on the payroll, the house is so big that I think I might get a little lonely living here by myself." Oliver said, looking at Laurel.

"Oliver, are you asking me to move in here with you?" Laurel asked, half shocked and half excited.

"Yeah, though rather poorly I guess. Honestly Laurel, I think we both know that you'll be spending plenty of nights here anyway, so you might as well move in." Oliver said with a smile.

"Are you sure you're ready for this. After all, what we have now is still kind of new." Laurel reminded him.

"And yet I'm still as in love with you as I was the first time. This time I am being completely serious. I'm ready for us to take that next step, but only if you are." Oliver said.

"Yes." Laurel said.

"Yes." Oliver said.

"Yes I'll move in with you, since I agree, I'll probably wind up spending plenty of nights here anyway." Laurel said.

"In that case, I think I'll hold off on unpacking until you've gotten all your stuff here to, so we can unpack together." Oliver said.

"Since I know you well enough to know that you're too stubborn for me to talk you out of that, why don't we head to my apartment so you can help me pack my things." Laurel said.

"Sounds like a plan" Oliver said, kissing her.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey, what's with the boxes?" Thea asked as she entered the apartment she'd been sharing with Laurel.

"Can't you tell Speedy, I'm moving out." Laurel said with a smile as she came out of her room, carrying a box labeled clothes.

"So you and Ollie are finally going to be living together?" Thea said.

"That's the plan." Laurel said.

"So where is he? Not having another affair I hope." Thea said jokingly.

Laurel laughed and said "No, he's picking up the moving van."

"I'm happy for you guys. Especially since it means I have this apartment to myself." Thea said.

"Are you sure you won't get lonely?" Laurel asked.

"Trust me, I'll be fine." Thea said.

"Great, because the van's here I don't think I'm getting my deposit on it back, so let's start loading it up." Oliver said as he entered the apartment.

"I'll help you load up the van." Thea said.

"Thanks." Oliver said as he picked up 3 boxes at once, most likely just to show off.

"Are you sure you can handle living with him?" Thea asked Laurel.

"You put up with it for years, I think I can do the same." Laurel said.

"Just making sure." Thea said with a smile as they resumed packing and taking boxes outside.

* * *

After Oliver and Laurel returned to the mansion, Laurel said "I still feel kinda bad that Thea is living alone in that apartment while we get our happy ending."

"I agree, which is why soon, she won't be." Oliver said with a smile.

"What?" Laurel asked.

"One of the perks of having a best friend who's wife is the Director of Argus is that you can call in favors from time to time." Oliver said with a smile as he pulled out his phone.

"What are you calling Lyla for?" Laurel asked.

"You'll see. I'll help you unpack after I'm done with my call." Oliver said.

Laurel nodded as she began to unload the truck.

* * *

"Hello?" Lyla asked, as she answered her phone.

"Hey Lyla, I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor." Oliver said.

"As long as you agree to return the favor when I need you to, sure. What do you need?" Lyla asked.

"A dead man." Oliver said.

"Excuse me?" Lyla asked.

"I need to clear the name of someone who's been wrongfully forced to fake their death, but the only way I can do that is that is if I have proof of this guy not being the dead man everyone thinks he is." Oliver said and Lyla caught on.

"Fortunately for you, Task Force X has the perfect candidate to suit your needs. I'll make the arrangements. You just have to get your man in Star City when I tell you to." Lyla said.

"I'll await your call." Oliver said as he hung up.

"So, who are you trying to spring?" Laurel asked, though she had a good idea.

"The only other member of our team that isn't here. It's time that Arsenal rejoined the party." Oliver said.

"You're trying to reunite your sister with her boyfriend." Laurel said.

"It's my fault Roy can't be here in the first place, this is how I'm making it right." Oliver said.

"And it's you doing things like this that make me love you even more." Laurel said.

"In that case, why don't we go finish unpacking so we can christen our new bed." Oliver said with a smile.

"I like the way you think." Laurel said as she and Oliver headed upstairs.

* * *

A few days later, Thea was watching TV when she heard someone knock on her door.

Assuming it was the pizza she'd ordered, Thea got up and opened the door and when she did, she thought she was seeing things, since Roy Harper was standing on the other side.

"Roy, is that really you?" Thea asked, thinking it was too good to be true.

"It's me Speedy." Roy said with a smile.

Rather than responding, Thea simply threw her arms around him and kissed him.

"I missed you so much. What are you doing here? I thought you couldn't come back to Star City." Thea asked when they pulled apart.

"Why don't we go inside and I'll explain everything." Roy suggested, since he didn't want to risk them being overheard.

Thea caught on and rushed him inside.

"So, talk." Thea said.

"One of the perks of working for the Green Arrow who's also the mayor is that he has contacts that could be used to clear my name. Oliver asked Lyla to dress a dead member of Task Force X up as the Arrow, which he had me take a picture with showing that I'm not the Arrow while the Arrow still being dead." Roy said.

"So you're a free man?" Thea asked.

"Yep, and I was hoping that we could officially pick things up where we left them off." Roy said.

"Do you have a place to stay yet?" Thea asked.

"No, Oliver and Laurel said I could stay with them up at the mansion." Roy said.

"Well, actually, you're going to be staying here with me. I need to keep an eye on you to make sure you don't die again." Thea said.

"Are you sure that's not moving too fast?" Roy asked.

"Just out of curiosity, which room were you going to sleep in at the mansion?" Thea asked, already knowing the answer.

"Your old room." Roy admitted.

"Why just sleep in my old room without me when I'm more than willing to share my current room with the man I love." Thea asked.

"I just want to make sure that we're not moving too fast, since we literally just got back together." Roy said.

"Roy, trust me, Ollie and Laurel were practically living together even before they moved into the mansion, it's fine. Besides we talked about getting our own place before things got complicated." Thea said.

"Than I would love to move in with the woman I love." Roy said.

"Good answer. Why don't we go celebrate." Thea said and Roy understood what she meant, loud and clear.


	5. Chapter 5

"Well, you look happy." Oliver said to his sister as she and Roy entered the Bunker the next day.

"How can I not be. I finally have the love of my life back in my life. And it's thanks to you. Roy told me what you did." Thea said.

Oliver smiled and said "It was the least I could do. And it didn't seem fair that I got my happy ending with Laurel, but didn't yours with Roy, but now we can both get that."

"Hate to interrupt, but how am I going to be Arsenal again, since Thea is using my suit as Speedy." Roy asked.

"I'm glad you asked. Thea, if you'll do the honors." Oliver said.

"My pleasure." Thea said as she walked over to where the suits were mounted and went to the chamber next to Spartan's suit and pressed a button that caused the chamber to open and reveal a new and improved Arsenal suit, this one blue.

"Consider it an early Christmas present. Welcome back Roy." Oliver said.

"This thing looks even cooler than my old suit. But where'd you get it?" Roy asked.

"Cisco at STAR Labs made it after your last trip to Star City. I was hopeful that someday Arsenal could rejoin the team." Oliver said with a smile.

"Thanks guys." Roy said.

"Well, what are you waiting for, go try it on." Thea said.

"Okay, jeez." Roy said as he grabbed the suit and went to change.

* * *

"Okay, yeah, you definitely look better in blue than red." Thea said as Roy came back out

"Thanks, but are you saying that I looked bad in red. Because I think I looked pretty kick ass." Roy said.

Thea rolled her eyes and said "I never said you looked bad in red. I just said you look better in blue."

Roy nodded, right as an alert came in.

"You guys can flirt later, right now we have an attack going on at Star City Bank. A metahuman." Oliver said.

"How can you tell?" Laurel asked.

"Check out this surveillance footage from the bank. As the meta enters the room, everyone else starts acting abnormally." Oliver said.

"You're right, they're all acting like they're under some kind of influence. Especially the women." Laurel said, since it was clear that this meta was also a pervert, due to the fact that every woman in the footage was undressing from head to toe.

"We need to get out there now. With powers like those, this meta could do some serious damage." Oliver said.

"Don't you think we should contact STAR Labs, see if they have anyway to protect us from the meta's powers?" Laurel asked.

"Where do you think Ray is. His suit picks up alerts just like these computers do and he's on his way to Central City right now to see if there's anyway to counteract this meta's powers." Oliver said.

"You're always on top of things aren't you." Laurel said with a smile.

"Let's suit up and Laurel and Thea, you both might want to put on some extra layers." Oliver said and both women nodded in agreement.

* * *

It turns out this meta, Mindquad, they'd decided to call him, could do more than just hypnotize people. He could use his powers to send out telepathic bursts of energy that immobilized his opponents, which already had Laurel, Thea and Roy on the ground, clutching their heads.

"What did you do to them." the Green Arrow asked angrily as he fired another arrow at Mindquad.

"Relax, it's not permanent. That was just a warning to stay out of my way. And I think it's time I give you the same warning." Mindquad said as he made contact with Green Arrow, but rather than feeling a surge pain in his head, Oliver was shown a memory of Damien Darhk murdering Laurel, right before his eyes.

"No." Oliver said, falling to his knees in despair.

"Another little trick. I can manipulate your worst fears and make feel as though they were real memories in your mind." Mindquad said as he walked away.

"Not so fast." the ATOM said as he flew in.

"Oh this will be fun." Mindquad said, sending another telepathic burst at ATOM, but this one had no effect.

"Nice try. The suit is designed to protect me from your mind tricks. Too bad you don't have any protection from this." Ray said, blasting him backwards.

"Time to take you where you belong." Atom said as he locked the meta cuffs on Mindquad's wrists.

He then turned back to the Green Arrow who was struggling to get his feet.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I will be. Get that scum out of this city." Green Arrow said.

The Atom nodded as he flew off with Mindquad in his grip.

* * *

"How's Mindquad?" Oliver asked as Ray returned.

"Settling into his cell in the Pipeline. According to Cisco, his real name is Jason Smith and he was actually being hypnotized at a magic show when the dark matter wave hit him." Ray said.

"Well, at least we know that he won't be pulling his mind games on anyone else. How are his victims?" Laurel asked.

"Recuperating. All those women at the bank were mortified when they came to their senses." Oliver said.

"Anyone would." Thea said.

"At least we stopped him from seriously hurting anyone. But now, I think we could use some rest after what we just went through." Oliver said, still reeling over the memory of watching Laurel be murdered right in front of him. It felt so real.

"Ollie, are you okay, you got hit worse than the rest of us." Laurel said.

"I think I just need some rest. We all do." Oliver said as he walked out of the bunker.

"I'm gonna keep an eye on him. It feels like there's something he's not telling us." Laurel said as she followed her boyfriend out.


	6. Chapter 6

Laurel was beginning to get sick of sharing a room with Oliver, since he had been waking her up for the past week now in the middle of the night, screaming in his sleep and refusing to talking about it after she shook him awake.

"Oliver, we need to talk and I'm not taking no for an answer." Laurel said as she entered their room.

"About what?" Oliver asked.

"You know what. Why do you keep waking me up in the middle of the night and then refusing to talk about it after I wake you up?" Laurel asked.

Oliver took a deep breath and said "You're gonna want to sit down for this."

Laurel was confused, but sat down on the bed nonetheless.

"Do you remember when we all tried to stop Mindquad and it didn't go well?" Oliver asked.

"Of course, why?" Laurel asked

"Because, rather than just attacking me with a burst of mental energy like the rest of you, Smith, he planted this memory in my mind." Oliver said.

"What was the memory?" Laurel asked.

"It was a memory of Damien Darhk murdering you back at the prison. And while normally I wouldn't be as shaken about it as I am now, the way the memory felt, the emotions. What if that wasn't a hallucination? What if it was what really happened, I mean, before Barry changed the timeline. Laurel, every night when I go to sleep, I see that happen again and again and the thought of losing you, terrifies me and you know how hard it is for that to happen. I can't lose you. Not again. Not ever." Oliver said, tears coming to his eyes.

It all suddenly made sense to Laurel what was bothering Oliver. He was terrified of losing her.

"Ollie," Laurel said, cupping his face with her hand, "You'll never lose me. I promise, I'm not going anywhere. And besides, Barry erased that timeline remember. I'm still here and we're together. And nothing will ever change that. I promise."

"I know, it's just, I'll never stop worrying about you Laurel. I mean, you know you're my whole world." Oliver said.

"I do and I feel the same way about you, I always have. That's what hurt so much when I found out that you were sleeping with my sister." Laurel said.

"That is a mistake I will never make again. Especially now that I know how easily I could've lost you." Oliver said.

"Oliver, you need to stop worrying that you're going to lose me and focus on the time we have together now. Focus on our love." Laurel said.

Oliver actually smiled at her and said "How is it that you always know exactly what to say to calm me down?"

"I just know you. After all, your heart is mine and my heart is yours." Laurel said.

Oliver leaned in and kissed her and things quickly elevated from there.

"I love you." Laurel said in between kisses.

"I love you to." Oliver responded.

* * *

The next day, Oliver was in his office, looking over a new gun registration act when Laurel walked in.

"Hey what's up?" Oliver asked.

"Well, as you know, Sara is coming back from college for the holidays and she doesn't have a place to stay yet, since my dad's apartment can only house one person, so I was wondering." Laurel began.

"Of course Sara can stay with us. Laurel, you don't have to ask me, after all, it's your house to and you know that Sara is more than just my friend or my girlfriend's little sister. She's family and she's always welcome to stay with us." Oliver said.

"I actually already told her it was okay, I just wanted to make sure that it was okay with you." Laurel said.

"Sara is always welcome and that goes for your mom to." Oliver said.

"Yeah, I'm not sure I want my mom staying with us. After all, I want my independence." Laurel said.

"So I should find you another place to live?" Oliver asked with a laugh.

"Watch it there. I meant I wanted my independence from my parents. You on the other hand, I don't mind living with." Laurel said as she kissed him.

"When is Sara getting in?" Oliver asked.

"Tomorrow, which reminds me, I'm going to need to early to go pick her up, as she has yet to renew her driver's license." Laurel said.

"Just take the whole day off so you can get a room ready for her." Oliver said.

"Thank you." Laurel said hugging him.

"You're welcome, but for today, get back to work." Oliver said.

Laurel smiled as she rolled her eyes, but left the office nonetheless.

* * *

"So, you're living here with Oliver now?" Sara asked as they approached the mansion.

"Yep. Honestly, I'm amazed he hasn't popped the question yet." Laurel said.

"If he did, what would your answer be?" Sara asked with a smile.

"You know exactly what it would be." Laurel said.

"Just checking to make sure. But who knows, maybe he's going to do what he did with Felicity and propose to you on Christmas, at the tree lighting ceremony." Sara said with a smile.

"Maybe. That sounds like him, do it in public so it'll make it harder for me to say no." Laurel said.

"Look Laurel, I'm sure it'll happen eventually, but until it does, just take it slow and let things play out. I think that we've messed with time enough as it is." Sara said.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Laurel said with a smile.

"I never said it was, I just think we should be cautious." Sara said.

"I'm not going to be cautious with my love life. And speaking of which, I made sure that your room is far enough away from me and Oliver's that you won't be able to hear us." Laurel said, causing Sara to shudder.

"I should've just stayed with Thea." Sara said.

"Actually, Thea and Roy are living together now, so you'd probably feel even more uncomfortable there. Now come on, let's get you settled in." Laurel said.


	7. Chapter 7

"Do you want to tell me why you're dragging me, the sister of your girlfriend, to a jewelry store when it should be Laurel that's coming with you?" Sara asked Oliver.

"Because I need your help picking something out for Laurel and I don't want her to figure it out before Christmas." Oliver explained.

"Ah, so we're ring shopping." Sara said with a smile.

"Yep, and since you know Laurel better than anyone, except maybe me, I need your help to find her the perfect ring." Oliver said.

"That's easy. If the ring's from you, it's perfect." Sara said.

Oliver rolled his eyes and said "I see I was wrong in thinking you could be helpful."

"I'm just messing with you Ollie. Of course I'll help. And you're lucky that if I learned one thing from letting you cheat on Laurel with me, training with the League of Assassins and being the Canary, it's how to lie to Laurel." Sara said.

"It's not so much lying as it is keeping a secret, but now, let's go." Oliver said with a smile as they headed inside.

* * *

 _Christmas Day, Queen Mansion_

Oliver and Laurel were having Christmas dinner at their mansion for the whole team, since they had become like family for them.

"I honestly never thought I'd be having Christmas dinner here again." Thea said dryly as she and Roy entered the mansion.

"Get used to it Speedy." Oliver said as he hugged her.

"Thanks for having us." Roy said.

"No problem, but Roy, I assume you're taking good care of my sister." Oliver said.

"Don't worry Ollie, Roy is taking good care of me." Thea said as she walked by to greet Laurel and Sara.

"Do I wanna know?" Oliver asked Roy.

"Probably not." Roy said.

"Okay, come on in." Oliver said, showing Roy inside.

* * *

"Felicity, I'm surprised you're here." Laurel said to her former teammate as she opened the door to see Felicity and Ray standing there.

"Well, Ray asked me to be his plus one and I assumed that even though I left I was still welcome here, so I said yes, but if you want me to leave, I can." Felicity said.

Laurel smiled and said "No, Felicity, you're always welcome here. I was just little surprised, since I haven't seen much of you since you left the team."

"I guess we'll just come on in." Ray said.

"Of course. Oliver will certainly be surprised." Laurel said.

* * *

"Felicity." Oliver said.

"Hey, sorry to party crash. Laurel said it was okay if I stayed." Felicity said.

"Of course it's okay if you stay here. You're always welcome. Just like you're always welcome in the Bunker." Oliver said.

Felicity rolled her eyes before saying "Thank you, but I'm not going back to being a vigilante. Besides, you have Ray now."

"You know I had to try." Oliver said with a smile.

"Yes I do." Felicity said as she hugged him.

"So, how are things between you and Laurel?" Felicity asked.

"Great. But what about you and Ray? How long has that been a thing?" Oliver asked.

"A few weeks. We didn't say anything because Ray thought it might be awkward for you if you found out he was dating your ex." Felicity said.

Oliver smiled and said "And while I appreciate the sentiment, I'm with Laurel now and I could care less who you date, as long as you're happy."

Felicity visibly relaxed, right as the doorbell rang.

"That must be Lyla and baby Sara. I'll get it." Oliver said, getting up to get the door.

* * *

"Oliver, thanks again for inviting us. I know I'm not really on your team." Lyla said.

"Lyla, you know that you and John are family. Speaking of John, I guess he couldn't make it home for the holidays." Oliver said.

"Actually, you'll never believe what I found under my tree this morning." Lyla said.

"What?" Oliver asked, right before another person joined them.

"Sorry I'm late, parking was awful." John said with a grin as he joined his family.

"John, why didn't you tell me you were back in the states?" Oliver asked as he hugged his best friend.

"I wanted to surprise you guys for the holidays." Dig said.

"Come on in." Oliver said, showing them inside.


	8. Chapter 8

After Christmas Dinner, Oliver tapped his wine glass to get everyone's attention.

"First off, I want to thank everyone for joining me and Laurel here on Christmas, and John, even though it's only for a few days, welcome back." Oliver said.

"Thanks man." John said.

"And second, I want to make a toast. As we all know, Christmas is a time for family and I think that even as twisted and messed up as we all are, I think we can all agree that's what we are. Family." Oliver said, raising his glass.

"To family." everyone else said, copying his movements with their wine, or in Laurel and Quentin's case, water.

"And also, since we're surrounded by family, there's something I'd like to do." Oliver said as he looked at Laurel.

"Why are you lookin at me?" Laurel asked.

"Because of this." Oliver said as he pulled a small jewelry box out of his pocket and suddenly Laurel knew what he was planning she was completely on board.

Oliver took Laurel's hand in his own and got down on one knee before saying "Dinah Laurel Lance, will you marry me?"

Laurel smiled and said "Yes, I will."

Laurel then looked to her father, expecting him to object, but to her surprise, he was actually smiling at her.

"Dad, I thought you hated Oliver?" Laurel asked.

"I do, but if for some reason, he makes you happy, then I'm all for this. As long as you're certain it's what you want." Quentin said.

Oliver smiled as he pulled the ring out of the box and gently slid it onto Laurel's finger.

"This doesn't look like the ring you gave Felicity." Laurel said.

"That's because it isn't. Sara helped me pick it out." Oliver said.

Laurel looked at her sister and said "You knew?"

"Yep. Ollie figured that if there was one person who was good at keeping secrets from you, it was me." Sara said with a smile.

"Do you like the ring?" Oliver asked.

Laurel smiled and said "I love it. Especially the shape of the diamond."

"I thought an arrowhead would be nice, considering who you're marrying." Oliver said.

"I love it." Laurel repeated as she hugged him.

"Congratulations both of you." Thea said, getting up and hugging her brother and future sister-in-law.

"Thanks." Oliver said.

"Congratulations." John said.

"Thanks, so how long are you going to be in the states for, exactly?" Oliver asked.

"A couple of days. And yes I plan on picking up where I left off as Spartan while I'm in town." John said.

"Great. It'll be nice to almost have the whole team back together." Oliver said, clapping him on the back as he looked at Felicity.

"Sorry Oliver, but my mind is made up. Overwatch is officially retired." Felicity said.

"I suppose there's no chance I can talk you out of that, so fine. I guess it'll just be Green Arrow, Black Canary, Speedy, Arsenal, Atom and Spartan out there." Oliver said.

"Uh, you forgot the Canary." Sara said.

"That's because you're not the Canary anymore Sara." Oliver said as Laurel left the room.

"What do you mean I'm not the Canary anymore?" Sara asked.

"What he means is that we talked and since you're trying to start a new life, maybe you should adopt a new persona." Laurel said as she reentered the room and was carrying a box.

"Merry Christmas Sara." Laurel said, handing the package to her sister.

"What is this?" Sara asked.

"Open it." Oliver said and Sara wasted no time in doing that.

"A new suit." Sara said, reaching into the box and pulling out a white suit.

"Well, you can't be the Canary anymore, so we figured you'd be the White Canary. What do you think?" Laurel asked.

"I love it Just one question. Why don't I get a Canary Cry?" Sara asked.

"Because that's my thing. Your thing is beating criminals senseless with sticks." Laurel said.

"Very funny Laurel." Sara said.

"Besides, it's not like you'll be wearing it much right now. You're still in college and then there's medical school." Laurel said.

"Good point." Sara said as she took a look at the suit.

"Cisco designed it from the same stuff he used to make me, Dig and Roy's new suit." Oliver said.

"I have a few ideas to run by him on how to customize it." Sara said.

"I'm sure he'll be all ears." Laurel said.


End file.
